


Bruises

by DktrAgonizer



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-28 18:11:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6339976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DktrAgonizer/pseuds/DktrAgonizer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She comes home with bruises every few weeks. Sometimes you’re walking home from the ring with her, sometimes you’re somewhere else. Sometimes Eddie’s the one to fawn over her, to chide her for carelessness, but usually it’s you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bruises

She comes home with bruises every few weeks. Sometimes you’re walking home from the ring with her, sometimes you’re somewhere else. Sometimes Eddie’s the one to fawn over her, to chide her for carelessness, but usually it’s you. She slouches back on the couch, her shirt off to bare the bruises for you to run delicate fingers over. Sometimes she lies in your lap, grinning up at you and babbling on about the bouts as you carefully place an ice pack on the worst of the bruises.

She’s in your lap today and her right eye is already swelling shut, but it’s not affecting her mood at all. She’s been going over the day’s fights since she walked in the door, complete with helpful hand motions and exuberant reenactments via shadowboxing. It took a bit of coaxing for Nina to slow down enough so you could look her over, but now she’s settled in with an ice pack over her black eye and your hands tracing the colored marks on her chest and arms.

Eddie’s out - visiting Oswald at the Iceberg Lounge, no doubt - so it’s just the two of you for now. As much as you love him, it’s nice to be able to sit here with Nina and listen to her, just to her. Your fingers brush away the hair from her forehead and she takes a breath, story finished for the moment.

“I’ll come see the next one,” you say and she smiles up at you. “You should give it a while, though. Too much too often and you’ll wear yourself out, sweetheart.”

A huff of laughter passes her lips. “I’ll do my best. But you know how restless I get when I haven’t punched somebody in a while.” She raises one hand and feigns a punch at you. You catch her hand before it lowers and press a kiss to the back of it.

“They have punching bags in the gym for that, you know,” you say, lowering her hand but refusing to let it go. Nina’s fingers twine with yours. You trace patterns on her shoulder with your free hand.

“I said some _body,_ Diedre,” Nina replies with a wink. Or maybe she’s just blinking; it’s hard to tell when her other eye is covered. “It’s just not the same.” She touches the ice pack on her eye with a wider grin. “Punching bags don’t punch back.”

Your free hand moves up to cup the side of her face. You stroke over her cheek with your thumb, a gentle back and forth motion. “Tell you what. We’ll make plans to pull something off soon, hm? It’s been too long since we’ve hit anywhere. That might help some.” A pause. “You should give it at least a month before you’re back in the ring, anyway.”

Another short huff of laughter, followed by a mock pout. “A whole month? Well, if that’s on doctor’s orders…”

“I’ll write a note and everything.” You lean down and press a quick kiss to her mouth. There’s a hand on the back of your head before you can pull away, and even though the angle’s a bit awkward, you don’t mind. Even after all these years of being together, she kisses you soft and slowly, like she’s savoring it. Sometimes your stomach still ties itself into knots.

She hums when you finally pull back. Nina’s eye slips closed as your thumb continues to stroke her cheek. “Let’s go out for dinner tomorrow,” she says after a small moment of quiet. “I could go for some pasta.”

You stretch out your legs in front of you, one ankle crossed over the other. “Ed or no Ed?”

A thoughtful pause. “Sure. He can pay.” She giggles, and it sets you off, too. It doesn’t take long for the two of you to lapse into a comfortable silence, and it’s soon after that Nina dozes off in your lap. You watch her for a while, eyes raking over the bruises, admiring the curves and the muscles of her body. You’re unsure when Eddie plans on coming back, but knowing him, you’ll have at least a few more hours. So you lean back, close your eyes, and let yourself drift off to sleep with your fingers still entwined in hers.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Consider leaving a comment letting me know your thoughts; I'd love to read them!


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